Off-Season Grades: Atlantic Division

Toronto Raptors: B

Draft: Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam
Signings: DeMar DeRozan (5 yr, $145mm), Jared Sullinger (1 yr, $6mm)
Departures: Bismack Biyombo, James Johnson, Luis Scola

Breakdown: Toronto has had a fairly quiet off-season so far. Being one of the top teams in the East and having next to zero cap space didn’t allow for much action. The Raptors were smart and kept their core intact. DeRozan didn’t even take a meeting with any other team and was one of the first free agents to reach a new deal. After dishing out $145 million to DeRozan, the Raptors couldn’t afford to retain emerging center Bismack Biyombo. He left for Charlotte, leaving a hole behind Valanciunas on the Raptors depth chart. Toronto used the ninth pick in the draft to help replace the big man by taking Utah’s Jakob Poeltl. Poeltl has the potential to grow into a starting center in the league and will fit in perfectly behind Valanciunas. The addition of Sullinger on a bargain deal helps solidify the Raptors already strong rotation.

Boston Celtics: A-

Draft: Jaylen Brown, Guerschon Yabusele, Ante Zizic, Demetrius Jackson, Ben Bentil, Abdel Nader
Signings: Al Horford (4 yr, $113mm)
Departures: Evan Turner,  Jared Sullinger

Breakdown: So the Celtics didn’t make that splash move on draft night that everyone had anticipated. No trade for Gordon Hayword, Jimmy Butler, or DeMarcus Cousins. But that doesn’t mean that the Celtics didn’t have a great offseason. They improved their roster without sacrificing their young core. The addition of athletic freak and super genius Jaylen Brown should eventually make up for the departure of Evan Turner. Yabusele has been dubbed “French Draymond” and 45^th pick Demetrius Jackson had the potential to go near the top 20 of this year’s draft.
Oh yeah, they also added Al Horford, one of the most offensively skilled big men in the league. Horford gives them a combination of size and scoring which they desperately needed. Boston isn’t a finished product, but they continue to look better and better.

New York Knicks: B-

Draft: Willy Hernangomez (2015)
Trades: Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday
Signings: Joakim Noah (4 yr, $72mm), Courtney Lee (4 yr, $48mm), Brandon Jennings (1 yr, $5mm), Mindaugas Kuzminskas (2 yr, $6mm), Lance Thomas (5 yr, $27mm)
Departures: Arron Afflalo, Derrick Williams, Jose Calderon, Jerian Grant, Robin Lopez, Tony Wroten

Breakdown: The Knicks may have had the busiest off-season of any team in the league. And they were probably the 2^nd most talked about team behind the Warriors. A pre-draft trade netted them former MVP Derrick Rose and Jrue Holiday’s brother Justin. With no draft picks, the Knicks were forced to look towards free agency to add to their depleted roster. They were able to bring in Rose’s long time teammate and New York native Joakim Noah (at a steep cost) and added former lottery pick Brandon Jennings on a one year deal after suffering a brutal Achilles injury in 2015. My favorite move they made was finding a worthy starting 2 guard in Courtney Lee. Lee is one of the better two way guards in the league and can consistently hit his shot from deep. If Melo, Rose, Noah, and Jennings can stay healthy this team has the potential to be a top 4 seed in the East. That is a huge if, since all of these players have extensive histories of injury. At least Phil Jackson is trying.

Brooklyn Nets: D

Draft: Caris LeVert (Trade with Pacers)
Signings: Jeremy Lin (3 yr, $36mm), Trevor Booker (2 yr, $18mm), Justin Hamilton (2 yr, $6mm), Luis Scola (1 yr, TBD)
Departures: Thaddeus Young, Wayne Ellington, Jarrett Jack

Breakdown: Brooklyn was in a tough spot going into this off-season. Coming off of a disappointing 21-61 season, in which coach Lionel Hollins was fired, the Nets looked to improve their roster. However, Brooklyn is still paying for the shortsighted Pierce and Garnett trade and could have really used the #3 pick in the draft that resulted in Boston grabbing the athletic Jalen Brown. Brooklyn made another head scratching trade that sent Thad Young to Indiana in exchange for the draft rights of the oft-injured Caris LeVert.
And then things got worse. The Nets managed to get two restricted free agent guards to sign offer sheets in Allen Crabbe and Tyler Johnson. Both offers were matched, leaving Brooklyn scrambling to fill out their roster. The Nets seem positioned to have the worst team in the NBA next year and Boston can’t wait to swap 1^st round draft picks with them in 2017. There’s a lesson here. Don’t trade your future for another team’s past.

Philadelphia 76ers: A-

Draft: Ben Simmons, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Furkan Korkmaz
Signings: Jerryd Bayless (3 yr, $27mm), Sergio Rodriguez (1 yr, $8mm), Gerald Henderson (2 yr, $18mm)
Departures: Ish Smith

Breakdown: The Sixers flat-out won draft night. Ben Simmons is tearing up the Summer League and looks to be everything he was built up to be. The kid has the potential to be All-NBA on both sides of the ball in a few seasons. There will certainly be a learning curve and his shot is still in question, but his passing ability and court vision are unreal. Luwawu was another strong draft choice and will be thrown into the line-up right away as an athletic 3 and D player. The Sixers will again be one of the youngest teams in the league and will potentially have 4 rookie impact players this season in Simmons, Luwawu, Dario Saric (if he comes over), and the 3^rd pick in the 2014 draft, Joel Embiid.
The Sixers took a smart approach in free agency and were able to bring in some veteran leadership to help guide the young players and put a more competitive team on the court. Bayless and Henderson will be their starting backcourt and should provide stability that Ish Smith and Nik Stauskas were unable to provide. Rodriguez is a savvy EuroLeague veteran that will add to an increasingly international roster.

Grayson Gold-Garvey